Roundabout



April 1930. D. J. LAHAY 1,752,600

ROUNDABOUT Filed March 21, 1927 *giiIZ' INVENTOR D J LAHAY ATTORNEYS Patented Apr. 1, 1930 UNITED STATES DELL J. LAI-IAY, OF GARNEY, MICHIGAN ROUNDABOUT Application filed March 21, 1927.

' My invention relates to improvements in roundabouts and it consists in the combinations, constructions, and arrangements herein described and claimed.

An object of my invention is to provide a roundabout of the type in which seats are provided on a rotating frame with means in easy reach for causing the frame with the seats to rotate in either direction, the device being built in such a manner that the space immediately in front of the seats is clear so that one may sit in the seat without the necessity of straddling the frame, thereby enabling anyone to use the device.

A further object of the invention is to provide a device which is light, but which is strong and which is devoid of wheels or other elements that are liable to injure children who use the device.

A further object is to provide a device of the type described which, as stated, may be easily propelled or rotated in either direction.

Other objects and advantages will appear in the following specification, and the novel features of the invention will be particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this ap plication, in which Figure 1 is a side View of the device,

Figure 2 is a plan view, and

Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the cocentric drive.

In carrying out my invention, I provide a base portion consisting of legs 1, held together by cross braces 2. These legs, as willbe observed, meet at a common center and are connected together at. their tops. The cross braces 2 are joined together at 3 in vertical alignment with the tops of the leg portions 1," as shown in Figure 3, and a vertically eX-- tending spindle 4 is rigidly held by the legs and the braces, the lower end of the spindle being firmly secured in the braces and pass ing through the tops of the leg portions to which it is firmly secured. This spindle 4;, it will be observed, has a right angled bar 1* at its top, the purpose of which will be explained later.

Serial No. 177,101.

The frame consists of side members 5, which in the present instance are channel irons, at the ends of which are mounted seats 6 having arms 7. The side members 5 have upwardly extending integral members 8 which are inclined toward one another and which are joined at the top by an integral member 9. There is a cross member 10 extending from one of the channel irons 5 to the other, the ends of this cross member 10 being disposed just underneath the flange 5 of each cross member, as shown in Figure 3.

The spindle 4 passes freely through the cross member 10 and through the member 9. A washer 11, see Figure 3, is disposed between the upper surface of the legs and the member 10, which constitutes, in fact, a part of the frame. In order to further brace the device, I provide longitudinal braces 12, which are secured at their lower ends to the members 5 and pass upwardly over the ends of the member 9 to which they are rigidly secured.

As will be seen from the drawings, there are footrests 13 for each seat. These footrests are suspended by the lever bars 1 1, which are pivotally connected to the side bars 5 by pivot rods 15. The upper ends of the lever bars 1 are bowed inwardly and are connected together by pivot pins 16.

Two pull rods 17 are provided, having handles 18 at their ends within easy reach of the occupants of the seats. These rods are pivotally connected to the crank 4* at 19. The pins 16 which hold the ends of the lever bars 14 together pass loosely through these pull bars 17 so that the two pull rods 17 may at times take positions which are angularly inclined with respect to one another.

From the foregoing description of the various parts of the device, the operation thereof may be readily understood. The occupants of the seats take their places and the frame containing the seats, which is pivotally mounted on the spindle 4, is given a push in either direction. Now by pulling on the iandle 18 and pushing on the footrest 13 at one end of the device, and by pushing on the handle 18 at the other end of the device, the rotation of the frame and seats is maintained until such a time as the frame and its seats are in such position that such pushing and pulling are reversed. Thus there is a back ward and forward movement of the occupant of each seat which tends to keep the frame and its seats in rotation.

It is of course apparent that the reverse motion can take place under the same cir cumstances, so that the device may be re= volved in either direction.

The device is simple in construction, has few parts, and, being devoid of gears and wheels, will not tend to injure those who make use of it.

I claim:

1. A roundabout comprising a base, a vertically extending shaft carried by said base,

' a crank arm carried by said shaft, a frame having spaced-apart side members, means for joining said side members together, said frame being rotatably mounted upon said shaft, seats disposed between and secured to the side members of said frame, a pair of supporting levers pivotally mounted upon said frame substantially adjacent said seats, the lower ends of said levers being arcuate shaped, footrests secured to the arcuateshaped portions of said levers, said levers extending inwardly and upwardly from said frame whereby the upper ends of said pairs oflevers may be disposed in close proximity to each other, pull rods having their inner ends pivotally connected to said crank arm and their outer ends provided with handle portions, and means for connecting the upperends of the pairs of levers together and for pivotally securing said pull rods'to said pairs of levers.

2. A roundabout comprising a base, a vertically extending shaft carried by said base, a crank arm carried by said shaft, a frame having spaced apart members, means for joining the spaced apart members together, said frame being rotatably mounted upon said shaft, seats carried bythe spaced apart frame members, a pair of supporting levers pivotally mounted upon said frame substantially adjacent the seats, the lower ends of the said levers being disposed at an angle with respect to the main part of the levers, a foot rest secured to the lower angularly disposed part of the levers, said levers extending upwardly from said frame and inwardly toward the center, the upper ends of said levers being joined, pull rods having their inner ends pivotally connected to said crank arm and adjacent their outer ends being connected to the means joining said'levers where by said levers and pull rods move together.

DELL J. LAHAY. 

